Waiting on a Cherry Blossom
by Midori Hara
Summary: Sakura Haruno isn't just a normal ninja; and Edward Elric isn't just any alchemist. When they have dreams about each other, and fall in love through those dreams, their worlds turn upside down!
1. To meet the boy of my dreams

_Chapter 1, Part 1 ~Sakura~: To meet the boy of my dreams_

_**He stood in front of me smiling; his golden eyes on my face. I could feel myself fill up with glee as he smiled; what a beautiful smile, I thought. **_

_**I started running to him, hoping somewhere in my heart that he would embrace me and tell me he loved me; But his face began fading into darkness as my fantasy was ending.**_

"_**Wait!! Don't go yet!!" I screamed into the descending darkness.**_

_**By the time I reached him, he was gone.**_

My eyes opened wearily to the morning sunlight.

"Another dream about Edward…" I whispered to myself as I moved so I sat upright on my bed._ I'm constantly having dreams about him… but he's just my fantasy right? But somehow…I feel he's waiting for me somewhere. _I thought. I swung my legs around so I was sitting on the edge of my pink flower-patterned bed comforter.

I felt Ed was real, even if he was from another one of my fantasies. I came up with his name out of nowhere. As if it was his actual name, and as if he was an actual person somewhere. I loved him, but everyone told me to not fall in love with dreams, fantasies, or something from my imagination. I couldn't help it, he was just so beautiful.

I squealed with fan girl joy thinking of my dreamy Edward. Every other ninja girl would probably do that same routine for Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke Uchiha, last of the powerful Uchiha clan. He had black hair with a tinge of blue, and onyx black eyes. Those features apparently infatuated almost every girl in Konoha. Not for me though. Sasuke was a foul, arrogant, and the most repulsive ninja in the history of the universe. I used to love him as a result when Ino Yamanaka and I became rivals. I had expressed my _true_ feelings to him, but he pushed me out of his life like small child.

"_S-Sasuke-kun…" I trembled, hoping he would accept my declaration of love._

"_Well? What do you have to say, Sakura-chan?" He said with anger in his voice from my stalling of words._

"_I-I love you Sasuke-kun. I truly love you. I want to spend my life with you! I want us to be together forever! Just us and no one else!" I shouted with a burning passion in my chest. I was dying to embrace him and start expressing all my feelings for him. _

_But what he said next changed my mind…_

"_Hmph. You don't really understand do you, Sakura-chan?" he said with a glance at my bright emerald eyes. "You just want me to make the other girls jealous, don't you? All of your feelings toward me are nothing in my eyes. All I care about now is avenging my brother, and restoring my clan! I have no pathetic time to waste on relationships! Especially with girls who have no other care than having a future with me!" he turned away and started walking, hands clenched into tight fists._

_I ran after him and embraced him, just as I had wished. He grabbed my arms that were tightly wrapped around his waist and threw me to the ground. He glared down at me over his shoulder, with rage-filled eyes. His eyes weren't onyx black anymore; they were blood red with two black comma shapes surrounding the pupil. "The sharingan..." I thought. _

"_Get the hell off me!!" he shouted. I sat there helplessly on the ground, tears welling up in my eyes. _

"_You don't understand Sasuke-kun!!" I shouted, ready to burst with tears. "I'm not doing this to make anyone jealous!! I love you more than anything!! I just want you to accept me, and love me!! I can help you get stronger and avenge your brother!! I can help you restore your clan!! If you just let me hel-"_

"_Sakura!" he cut in, "You're the one who doesn't understand! I don't love you, or any other girl! Everyone I loved was taken away by my accursed brother!" and what he had ended that statement with changed my mind about him again. "I HATE YOU SAKURA-CHAN!!"_

_My mouth trembled. I felt like screaming at him. But I just got up, and hung my head down as tears streamed down my face and fell to the cold earth below my feet. He stood there, glaring at me over his shoulder, and not even batting an eyelash as I cried in sheer hatred._

"_Y-you…" I hiccupped, getting ready for my comeback."…YOU HEARTLESS SON OF A BITCH!!!" I yelled, and throughout the training grounds you could hear the echo of my comeback._

_This had made him turn, facing me again. _

_My face was up now, red, and rage filled. "You only care about yourself! You won't let anyone into your life!! Not even your own teammates!!" I screamed at him. I took a step toward him and punched him square in the jaw. He didn't resist, even with the sharingan activated. "He deserved it." I thought._

_I stared at him through hate-filled eyes, __**"I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!!!"**_

_I turned, and walked proudly away. Sasuke stood unmoving. Where I had hit him was red and was swelling up, but he just stood there awestruck._

Just recalling what happened made me clench my hand into a fist and punch the air, where an imaginary Sasuke would be. _CHA!! I NEVER WANNA SEE HIS FACE AGAIN!! CHA!! _Inner Sakura raged.

Having the day off from missions, I began it by taking a nap and attempting to achieve my childhood goal of "sleeping 'till noon."

"_**He's coming soon, Haruno Sakura…"**_

Who's coming soon? How do you know my name? Who are YOU?

"…_**The boy from your dreams. He is coming to Konoha..."**_

H-he's real? So I was imagining someone!

"…_**Whatever you do...…no...…all...…n...….ov….t…….Edward Elric."**_

What are you saying?! Come back!! Wait!! No!! Don't go!! Tell me!!

_Sigh_. "Edward Elric, hunh?" I said as I pondered on the edge of my bed after my recollection. "Who, or more importantly _what_, was that voice?" I tapped my large forehead in thought. "That voice sounded somewhat familiar. And, what was it saying near the end; _'Whatever you do' …._something, something, and then Edward Elric," I was very puzzled on the situation.

Choosing to go out for a while for the rest of my day off, I stood up, and got dressed to go out; red tank-top, white skirt and a normal white headband to replace my ninja one. I slipped on my ninja sandals, and checked myself in the mirror. _I can understand why Sasuke doesn't want me. I'm ugly, and my forehead's too big…. _I thought as I stared at my reflection; my hair, short and light pink; eyes, bright emerald green; and my large, unnatural forehead. _Why do I have to have such a big forehead?? _I complained in my head as I often did about the subject. I picked up a small purse, and left. Because I was ready for a long day of relaxation, enjoyment, and shopping!!

I was sitting in the Konoha tea shop with shopping bags on my right and left; and a thought came to me: _The voice said Edward would be coming soon. Why don't I tell the people at the entrance to the village to look for him?_ I thought about this for a while, and then decided to try my idea.

"Right then; to the village gate," I whispered. I stood up from my kneeling position on the tatami mat floor, paid for my tea and dumplings, grabbed my stuff, and strode out of the store. _I __am__ going to meet Edward-kun no matter what it takes! CHA!!_

I walked down to the village entrance, hoping someone would be there to accept my request. Approaching the large doors at the entrance, I saw two Jounin standing in the shade where they could observe everyone who went in and out of the village. I walked up to the one. He had spiky brownish-black hair, and a bandage going over his nose.

"Hi. Um, I was wondering if you could do me a favor," I said politely. I didn't want to be rude to a higher rank ninja than I was.

"Yes. Can I ask what that may be?" he said with the same polite tone.

"Um, if you see a boy with blond hair in a braid with golden eyes try to come into the village, can you keep him here and then get me? He's a friend, and I just am dying to see him that's all..." I looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, which usually worked.

"I'm sorry, only the Hokage can place a favor like that. Or you'll need permission from her," He leaned out of the shady area and looked to my left. "Oh. Here she comes now. You can probably ask her about that favor of yours."

The Hokage was a young woman at a glance, 28 or 29 maybe. She was pretty, and had an heir of power surrounding her. Hard to believe she was _really_ about 60 or so. She was accompanied by Shizune, her personal assistant; and following behind her, with duct-tape over his mouth, and his hands bound in front of him was Uzumaki Naruto. He was the knucklehead ninja of the village, and my _other_ teammate.

His eyes widened when he saw me, and he started making noises. The duct-tape prevented him from speaking though. He must have wanted me to untie him, because he was frantically waving his bound hands towards me. I shook my head no. _I don't want him causing Lady Tsunade any more trouble than he already has. _I thought.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" the fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, questioned as I stood next to the Jounin.

"I was asking the guard here if they could look out for someone for me; but they said I would need your permission," I looked down at the ground in embarrassment.

"It's fine with me. Who is it you're waiting for? Maybe an old pal; or maybe your _boyfriend_?" she put forth a face that told me she knew what I was hiding. Naruto was still attempting to get my attention for something.

"Oh. Old pal, I guess. I haven't seen him in a long time and I'm dying to see him again, that's all," I confessed. I didn't like Tsunade-sama staring at me with a look of 'I know you're hiding something. Spill or I'll just keep torturing you with my stare.'

"Is he _cu-u-ute_? Oh! Tell me!" She insisted with a grin.

"Uh, all I know is that he has golden eyes and golden blond hair. That's all I remember from when we were little, I mean."

That made Naruto stare at me with wide cerulean blue eyes.

"What are you staring at me wide-eyed for Naruto?" I asked puzzled to why he reacted when I said Edward's physical details._ If I told them the truth about Edward, they'd make fun of me._

_They'd tell me he wasn't real…_

_They'd eventually mock me…_

_They'd all eventually avoid me…_

"_**Edward Elric is real Haruno Sakura. Don't rely on what everyone else believes…"**_

"…_**Tell them about Edward , then you prove them wrong when he actually arrives…"**_

"…_**Then **__**you**__** can mock them."**_

B-but what if he never comes? What will I do then?!

"_**He **__**will**__** come."**_

_Chapter 1, Part 2 ~Edward~: Arriving in an unknown village_

_**I smiled sweetly at her. She smiled back. Her emerald green eyes focused on my face. Then she started running towards me, arms outstretched.**_

_**She must've wanted to embrace me, but this fantasy was ending all too quickly.**_

_**She was fading into darkness; but she kept running with her outstretched arms.**_

"_**Wait!! Don't g……" she screamed. I wanted to yell reassuringly back, but it was like the descending darkness sealed my lips tight; I couldn't speak.**_

_**Finally she faded away, just as she would've reached me.**_

"Brother! Brother, wake up!"

The sun was shining through the windows into our train compartment. I blinked my eyes in the sudden change of light.

"Hey, brother, are you okay? You were yelling in your sleep again! This time 'Don't go' and 'Wait up!_**' **_It scared me a little. You're alright, aren't you?" It was my little brother, Alphonse, who was so worried. A year younger than I was, we traveled together like this a lot.

"Hunh? Oh yeah, I'm alright. Just another dream about _her_." I said. Emphasizing "her" since I didn't know _her_ name.

I sat upright on the rock-hard train compartment seat, and scratched my head in thought. _I haveta' give her a name one of these days, don't I? _I thought sympathetically_. I mean, if she was a real person she would need a name. Thing is, there's so many names. Which would fit her? _I attempted to recall _her_ appearance from my dreams the previous nights.

"Brother?" Alphonse asked. He was staring at me while I was deep in thought.

"What is it, Al? I replied, looking up at him from where I was slouched up against the wall and the "granite cushions" as I usually called them.

"What did you say that girl looked like again? All you said before was that she was pretty."

I stared at him blankly. Thinking of ways to stall the question off until later.

And when nothing finally came: "Oh, uh, she had bright green eyes, fair skin, a somewhat unnaturally large forehead…" I paused. I was unwilling to mention the final detail about her hair. Why? Because my little brother would think I was nuts.

"What about her hair?"

"Her hair was short and pink, okay?" I looked away from him, and stared with a blank expression out the train window. I was trying to avoid my younger brother's eyes as long as I could.

"Okay then. Heh heh… Hey brother! Was she _taller_ than you??" Alphonse mocked.

"SHUT UP!!" I yelled furiously." THAT'S NOT FUNNY!!"

"_**Are you wishing to meet her, Edward Elric?"**_

Y-you… I've heard that voice before. Who are you?! How do you know who I am?!

"_**Are you wishing to meet Sakura Haruno, Elric?"**_

Who's this Sakura Haruno? I have no idea who you're talking about.

"_**The girl from your dreams…you have the chance to meet her. Sakura…"**_

I can meet her?! How?! Whe—

"_**All you must do is get off this train at the next stop… walk deeper into the land through a forest…eventually you will come to a small village of the name of Konoha…Then the rest will fall into place…"**_

"_**But I warn you… do no…all.…ov..…ith….Saku….Ha…….."**_

What? Hey!! Don't leave on me!! NO!!

"Finally, we're stopping," I said wearily. I had just awoken from a nap in which I had a peculiar dream. I stretched in the summer heat. _What was that weird dream about? That voice said I would meet…Sakura? I wonder if I was just fantasizing. But… that voice did sound familiar though. Had I met someone with that voice before? _I picked up my traveling trunk off of the dusty platform and headed towards the dense forest. I was certain I was meant to meet Sakura, even if I didn't really know where I was going.

"Brother? Where are you going?" Al asked confused.

"This way. I just have this weird feeling about this forest. Come on, let's go!" I replied with a gesture. I started into a sprint going down the wide forest path.

"Brother, wait!!" Al called after me. I could hear him running a little ways behind. I kept pace, still going down the path. I was eager to meet the girl from my dreams.


	2. An Unexpected Meeting

_Waiting on a Cherry Blossom__- Chapter 2, Part 1 ~Edward~: An Unexpected Meeting_

My shadow was long and dark, stretching across the dirt path. The sun was lowering into the sky, and I could see the colors of a sunset forming. I was tired from a running start down the path, and I was breathing heavily.

"Brother, are you okay?" Al asked when I finally collapsed from exhaustion. "S…so tired," I wheezed. "And…hot."

"Yeah, that happens when you run _full speed_ down a pathway in the summer."

"Shut up. I'm too tired to argue." I complained. I was sprawled out on the ground and I rolled over onto my back to look at the newly sunset colored sky.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

The sky was alit with so many colors: reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, etc. It was the kind of sunset that was seen in all the romantic movies that our mom used to make us watch with her.

"Takes me back to when we were little." Al said, looking at the sky. I could tell it made him feel somewhat happy, being reminded of Mom.

"Yea."

I sat up, and looked around; only then focusing on a silhouette running down the path toward us.

"What the heck?" I shielded my eyes from the sunlight, and somewhat saw that silhouette to be a girl. _'Could…Could that be, Sakura? No. Sakura has her hair down and it's short. But, this girl is wearing her hair in a ponytail.'_

The girl was still running toward us, but seemed to slow down when she caught sight of a boy, me, sitting on the ground, and a suit of armor, Al, standing on the side of the pathway. She stopped in front of us, and examined us for a minute. Then she spoke with her hands on her hips.

"Hey! Are you guys going back to Konoha?" _'Konoha? I remember that voice mentioning that.'_ "You should report straight to the 5th Hokage once you get there. She's having a REALLY bad day so—"

"Excuse me, but," I interrupted."But who is this '5th Hokage'?"

She stared at me in shock. She must have been confused for some reason because she looked embarrassed.

'_I wonder if she knows Sakura. And I should ask her name too.' _I thought as the ponytailed girl had lowered her head, gathering up words to say. Taking the opportunity to speak, I stood up, and faced her straight on.

"Hey, I have a question." The girl jumped at my voice. "What's your name?"

She looked back up the pathway from which she came and then turned her attention back to me.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself before! I'm Yamanaka, Ino. Pleased to meet you… um…what's your name?"

"Edward Elric. And this is my younger brother, Alphonse." I gestured towards Al who was standing behind me. "Pleased to meet you!" he said bowing.

Ino stared oddly at us. "But… shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Whenever someone goes and says something like that it pisses me off. In this case, Al had to hold me back from attacking that sorry girl's head.

_Sigh._ "Well, Ino. I have one more question to ask you. Do you know someone named Haruno, Sakura?" I questioned, crossing my arms. _'She'd better know Sakura, I really want to find her soon.'_

Ino looked annoyed at this. She crossed _her_ arms and said with an expression that said 'I hate that girl so much I want to snap her neck.' "That bitch sadly lives in Konoha, like I do. We're rivals over a boy, Sasuke Uchiha." _'She likes someone else? Aw, hell.'_ I thought, hanging my head. "Or more likely, she _was_ my rival over him. They had a fight and now she hates his guts." I sighed with relief.

"Well, I'm headed for…Konoha, did I say that right? I'm looking for Sakura. Do you think you could help me find her?"

"Sorry. I can't right now. I'm on a mission for the 5th Hokage, Tsunade-sama. I have to go to the Land of Tea and deliver a message to the lord there." She apologized. "I'll see you around, 'kay?" Before I could say anything else, she was off running down the path behind us.

_Sigh._ "She wasn't much help really."

"Nope."

"Well, better start walking again." I said wearily. I grabbed my trunk, and Al and I continued up the path. Even in the slowly setting sunlight.

* * *

"Ugh." I moaned as we stood at Konoha's giant main gate. It was supremely tall and we were literally in the dark standing on the outside of the village. It was still somewhat light out, and we could still get in if we got through the guard people there…

The two men that must have been guarding the gate were reclining in some kind of shed-like area; and only one of them seemed to be doing their job.

We stopped gawking at the entrance, walked into the village, and approached the shed-like thing.

"Hey, is this Konoha?" I asked seriously. This was the moment of truth. Hopefully they would know where I could find Haruno Sakura.

"Hey—!! Y-you…!! Wait here!!" The one guard with spiky brown hair and a bandage over his nose stammered. He quickly ran over to the other guard who was napping, mumbled something to him, and sprinted off to somewhere in the village.

"Wha…?" I was completely, and utterly confused. _'Am I not allowed here or something?'_

A few minutes later, the spiky-haired guard returned with someone following him. It was a girl.

"Is this the boy you asked us to look out for, Miss Haruno?" The guard pointed at me.

My eyes widened. It was her. The girl from my dreams. Sakura! _'This is messed up!! She-She really is real!!' _She looked exactly as from in my dreams. Short, pink hair; emerald green eyes; and a large forehead.

Her eyes widened as well. She must've been thinking the same thing as I was, because at the same time we both pointed fingers at each other and yelled,

"**YOU!!"**

What an unexpected meeting!!

_

* * *

_

Waiting on a Cherry Blossom_- Chapter 2, Part 2 ~Sakura~: This is unreal!!_

"Mom! I'm home!" I yelled throughout the house, slamming the open door behind me as I stepped in. I had just returned home after my meeting with the 5th Hokage, Tsunade-sama, and setting in my request for the Jounin at the entrance of the village to look out for Edward-kun. '_I do hope he comes soon…' _I thought.

"Welcome home honey!" My mom called from upstairs. _'She's probably cleaning.' _I started thinking._ 'But…If she's in my room reading what I wrote down from my dreams, I'm gonna get an earful!!'_ I started up the creaky wooden stairs, and opened the door to my room with a slam. No one was there. _'Thank god.'_

"Hey sweetie!"

I screamed. Mom had scared me half to death coming up behind me like that. She was laughing because of how I reacted. I had punched a hole in the wall where I was facing to put my shopping bags down. You could see the insulation and the backside of the room wall next to mine.

My mom was carrying a laundry basket under her left arm, and was wearing a green bandanna around her long dark pink hair. It was pulled back in a tight ponytail, but a few strands still stuck out promptly. That was the way she looked when she cleaned the house the whole day.

"H-hey mom. You scared me half to death!!" I panted, clutching my throbbing hand. I have a tendency to overreact when I get scared or angry.

"I can absolutely tell that, dear." Mom said, peering into the hole in the wall. "You know," she said, turning to me and placing her hands on her hips, "I just finished fixing that wall after the last time you did that!"

She smiled at me and held out her arms for a hug.

Being the good daughter I was I hugged her without any complaint. She was my MOM after all.

* * *

For the rest of the day, I lie on my bed just thinking. I could faintly hear my mom singing over the vacuum. Occasionally a bird chirping could be heard from outside; or academy students playing ninja out in the streets. I turned my head to see my reflection in the mirror. _'Does Edward know what he's coming to meet?'_ I thought. _'I…I mean, what if he thinks I'm ugly? Or that I'm not what he expected?' _I just stared at my solemn face. Sunlight shone in over my bed, making my skin a pale red, just almost matching my shirt.

I just kept staring at myself until my eyes began to well up with tears. I couldn't bear the thought of yet another boy rejecting me for something I can't help. _'Sasuke-kun pushed me out because I was annoying, and he probably thought I was the worst. I…I just…hope Edward doesn't do the same.' _At that thought, tears streamed down my cheeks.

"I…I'm such a b-big crybaby…"

I just continued to lay there and cry until I fell asleep.

* * *

"Sakura! There's someone here for you!"

I woke up to my mom calling me. My cheeks were stiff, but I just rubbed my eyes and told her I was coming on down.

At the doorway, stood the Jounin from the village's main gate. My eyes widened when I realized the situation. 'E-Edward's here already?? S…so soon??' My heart began to race; I was too excited for this moment. But then I remembered…

'_I…I just…hope Edward doesn't do the same.'_

'_Please…'_ I prayed, _'Please don't let Edward reject me like Sasuke-kun… I couldn't bear it. Please god…' _I walked up to the Jounin, my hand clenched into a fist to prevent me from breaking under the stress. He straightened his stature and said like as asked:

"Miss Haruno, the boy you have asked us to look out for….we believe… is the one we have down at the village gate. Would you like to confirm it's who you requested?"

I wanted to reply before he could finish, but I just couldn't form words in my mouth. It was terrifying, trying to decide to face the music or not.

"Y…yes. I do." I finally sputtered after a time of dramatic silence. I slipped on my ninja sandals, waved my mom good-bye, and was going to face him, Edward, the boy _I've_ longed to meet.

I followed the Jounin to the village main gate. It was dusk and everyone seemed to be indoors. Few people were still outside, including us.

'_This…this is it, Sakura.' _I thought wearily,_ 'Will Edward...reject me like Sasuke-kun? No. I won't let that happen. Don't let him go, __**ever!**__' _

A promise to be kept.

* * *

"Whoa…" I thought aloud, "They found someone already…?"

Coming to a stop, the Jounin looked at me and pointed towards a boy in the shade of the observatory shed.

"Is this the boy you asked us to look out for, Miss Haruno?"

I followed his gesture, and sure enough, I saw a boy. Blond hair, tied into a braid, and through the shade I saw his golden eyes. Exactly how I remembered him from my dreams. My eyes widened, so did his. _'It's…It's him… it…really is! No way! This is so unreal! I must be dreaming!'_

Stunned, I pointed at Edward and yelled:

"**YOU!!"**

My heart was racing, I was stupefied. We both seemed stunned, and we both spoke nothing. In this time I could actually take in Edward's features that I didn't notice before in my dreams.

He was short, but yet a little taller than I was. His golden blond hair and his golden eyes were already known to me. He wore a long red coat, and underneath that another coat, black jeans, and boots. Behind him stood, what seemed like, a giant suit of armor. It held a traveling trunk, which must have been Edward's.

For some reason, tears welled up in my eyes. I attempted to hold them back, but they were coming out no matter what I tried. Tears ran down my face.

Tears of pure joy.

I could tell by the way Edward looked at me that he wasn't going to act like Sasuke-kun; by rejecting me and pushing me out of everything.

Edward's facial expression changed, he was surprised, but now showing joy. Unlike me he didn't cry. _'That's obvious, since I'm just a big crybaby.' _I thought.


	3. Happiness and Sorrow…

_Waiting on a Cherry Blossom__- Chapter 3, Part 1 ~Sakura~: Happiness and Sorrow…_

I slumped down to my knees. I was so happy; the happiest I've even been in my life as a ninja. Or more like since Sasuke rejected me. Tears of pure joy streamed down my porcelain colored cheeks in the light of the setting sun.

Edward ran over to me, and knelt down before me, then hugging me tightly.

I…I'm so glad you're here now," I whispered into his ear.

Me too," he responded, hugging me just a bit tighter.

He pulled away from the embrace for just a moment as he examined my tearstained face. His deep golden eyes met mine. I flushed red.

"You _are_ Haruno Sakura, right?" Edward said with a slight laugh.

"Y…yeah, of course I am! Who else?" I replied joyfully with a large smile.

_CHAA!! THIS GUY IS SO DAMN HOT!! CHAA!!!!_ Inner Sakura raged.

Edward stood up, and held out a gloved right hand to help me up. I took it, noticing his hand was rather stiff and hard. I ignored that fact though, and decided to enjoy this important moment to its full potential. I stood up, with the help of Edward, and tried to smile real cute.

"Yo, Alphonse!" Edward yelled over his shoulder to the suit of armor holding his traveling trunk. "Come'ere a sec! I want you to meet her!"

"Coming!" The armor yelled. His voice sounded like that of one of a younger boy; ten or eleven at that. Alphonse came over, towering over Edward by a few feet.

"Pleased to meet you!" Alphonse said politely and respectfully.

"Pleased to meet you also!" I replied with a grin. I held out my hand, and Alphonse took it, giving a fair handshake.

"This is my younger brother, Alphonse," Edward said gesturing over his shoulder at Al behind him. I smiled at both of them. I was just so overjoyed and happy then, I just couldn't help but smile so much.

_**Ba-Dump!**_

My head began to spin. A rush of nausea hit me, and I fell. I hit the warm ground, and heard people rushing to my aid and gathering around me. The last thing I heard was:

"S-Sakura!"

I blacked out.

"_**Are you happy now, Haruno Sakura? You've met your Edward-kun, now you must play a little game with me…"**_

A game? What kind of game?

"_**You'll find that out soon enough. But…I warned you before didn't I?"**_

Warned me about what? And tell me about this game!

"_**Not to fall in love with Edward Elric? No? Or did you just intentionally ignore me? Oh well, you fell in love with him anyway so the warning's useless now…"**_

W-What?!

"_**Oh…and about that game... It's the kind of game nobody wins…"**_

"What'd you do to her?!"

"I swear I didn't do anything, alright?!"

My eyes slowly flickered open at the loud sound of voices around me. Looking down at me was Edward and Alphonse. In the background, I heard a familiar chime of a large grandfather clock.

"She- She's awake!"

"Hunh? Oh! Sakura, are you okay?!"

I sat up, my head pounding painfully, and gazed around at the room, then looked at the two brothers next to me. "Where are we?"

"We're at your house," Edward said with a smile. "Nice place you got here!"

I laughed despite my weariness, "Thanks."

That night, Edward and Alphonse stayed at my house. I occasionally got up after both had fallen asleep. I couldn't sleep knowing the fact the boy I loved, the boy I fell in love with through dreams, was in my living room! My mind was racing with thoughts, and they filled my ability to sleep to the brim. I was just too excited for the next day to break dawn.

After what seemed of hours of lying in my cool room, staring at the ceiling, I had decided on something. I sat up and walked downstairs to where Edward and Alphonse slept. I knelt on the floor behind Edward's sleeping head and watched him quietly in the dim light of the living room. I smiled and laid my hand on his forehead. Edward didn't stir, but I pulled back nonetheless.

_You're being a stalker Sakura. Just let him sleep, you've had enough excitement for one day._

And with that sleepy thought, I tiptoed back to my room, and finally, and contently, fell asleep.

"Good morning, Edward-kun!!" I said cheerfully as Edward and his brother walked into the kitchen. I was helping my mom make breakfast, as making for more than two was a bit more work.

"Morning!" Edward replied with the same cheery tone. He sat down at the breakfast table, and Alphonse sat right across from him. _He's still wearing that armor? _The kitchen was mixed with the smells of eggs, toast, waffles, and the citrusy fruitiness of freshly squeezed orange juice. I looked over at Edward who was sniffing the air. "Smells really good!"

"Thank you!" my mom said, walking steadily, careful not to drop any of the several plates she had in her hands. "I'll just tell you this right out; my cooking _has_ been known to be as good as it smells!" She boasted, slowly laying the plates down on the large kitchen table.

"Dig in!"

"Thanks for the food!" Edward and Alphonse both said cheerily.

"You know," Mom said, turning her head toward me, "I really like this boy you brought home, kiddo! He's a real cutie at that!"

I flushed red. _It was true that I did love Edward with all my heart, but in some way, I still felt a little jealous by others complementing him. _

"You should eat too, you know," my mom added, "I need my sweet flower to get her food!" She smiled. And I sat down with both Edward and Alphonse, eating breakfast, and enjoying every minute of it.

I checked myself in the mirror. My new kunoichi outfit was a bit much for today, but I felt like showing it off. It was a silk red top, with my clan symbol on the sleeves, back, and on the left side of the chest. A white lining went around the bottom of the shirt, as well as around the top of the rounded collar. I wore a black skirt, as well as fishnet sleeves that went to my elbows beneath my top, and leggings that went to the middle of my thighs. I wore my ninja headband with Konoha's symbol, the leaf, embedded in the metal. The leaf was Konoha's symbol due to our village's other names: The village hidden in the leaves, the hidden leaf village, and the full name of Konohagure.

I slipped on the new boots I had bought the previous day, grabbed my purse, and went downstairs to say goodbye to my mom. For I was going out to talk to the fifth Hokage, and I was hoping she could help me with something.

"Mom, I'm going out, okay?" I called from the front door, one hand grasping the doorknob.

"Alright!" I heard her call back from the kitchen. The sound of running water was also coming from there. _She must be doing all the plates from this morning…_

"Sakura!"

I turned to see Edward standing there, a little confused. "Where are you going this early?"

"Oh, I um… I'm just going out for a while, okay?" I smiled innocently. "Could you meet me at the training grounds later?"

"Where's that?"

"Ask any of the ninja's around town, they wear a headband like this one," I pointed to the ninja headband that I wore on the crown of my head. Edward nodded, and I left to go see Lady Tsunade, the fifth Hokage.

I walked out into the training grounds, the dry grass crunched under my feet as I walked to the monument that gave tribute to all of the ninjas who died fighting the nine-tailed fox.

I looked around, not seeing Edward anywhere; I started to wonder if he got lost. _Sakura… you're such a baka. Of course he got lost! He's only been in Konoha for one day!_ But before I had completely lost hope, I heard Edward's voice from farther out into the grounds.

"ASSHOLE!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Edward yelled, his voice echoing.

"What am _I_ doing? More likely I should ask _you_, what are _you_ doing here? This is a training ground for ninjas only, not for sorry losers who are out for a walk," Sasuke Uchiha replied with a tone of anger arising in his voice.

As I ended up probably causing this argument by telling Edward to meet me here, I felt as if I had no other choice then to eavesdrop. I sat patiently behind a bush so I could quietly and unnoticeably observe this argument in good view until the end of it. _I'm guessing Edward and Sasuke don't like each other then…_

Their argument continued on:

"I'm here for a reason!"

"Yeah, and what might that be, you short loser."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY EMO BOY?!?!"

I sighed remorsefully. _I had a feeling something like this would happen. _I looked up at the two, Edward in a fighting stance, and Sasuke just standing there with his hands tightly in his pockets. I thought I saw a glint of red in his eyes, and that worried me. _Oh no… please Sasuke don't pull an attack on him… _

When Sasuke released the sharingan, it usually meant he was trying to scare someone off, or he was about to fight. I had no idea which he was going to pull, but Edward's sudden lunge at him had exposed the answer into clear sight.

"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"

As Edward was about to punch him, Sasuke grabbed his left fist and drew his arm around behind his back. Sasuke smirked, and Edward didn't even flinch.

Sasuke pulled Edward's arm up even further behind his back and yet he seemed to not even feel it. Edward grabbed Sasuke's arm with his right hand and tightened his grip greatly, and I heard Edward give a pitied laugh, while Sasuke's eyes widened in pain and fear. He slowly released Edward, stepping back. _What? What is he doing?_

"W-what is this?! What are you?!" the Uchiha gulped. I had never seen Sasuke like this since the forest of death. Edward stood up straight, his back facing Sasuke.

"A human…just like you are. But I'm just a little different." Edward said, holding his right hand in left, and then walking away. After a few steps, he turned. He looked sternly at Sasuke, a revengeful look in his golden eyes.

Edward swiftly brought his hands together, and quickly placed them both on the ground at his feet. The air seemed to contract around him, creating a bright electric blue light. The earth formed into a large fist, and shot towards Sasuke, striking him in the gut. He coughed painfully.

"That's for when you called me short, you emo bastard."

Edward turned, and strode away, a sense of pride in his step.

I sat there behind that bush, still unnoticed, staring in shock at the giant fist shaped earth that was protruding from the ground in front of Sasuke.

After what seemed like hours of searching for Edward after his encounter with Sasuke, I finally found him bent over with one hand holding onto a tree trunk for support. _He must have been looking for me…_ I felt badly that I probably had made Edward run around the unfamiliar training grounds with no idea where he was. I walked up to Edward, who was rubbing his shoulder as if in pain.

"Edward-kun?" I said in a small voice, and even being quiet made him jump in surprise.

"S-Sakura!" Edward said, spinning around. "Where were you?! I was looking all over for you—"

"I know... I'm so sorry, Edward-kun…" I apologized. I knew how hard it was to navigate through these training grounds, for I had even gotten lost when I was first starting out as a ninja.

"Nah… it's okay," Edward said, and I could hear his footsteps on the dry grass approaching me. I looked up to see him take off his outer red coat, and throw it over his shoulder. "You said you wanted to meet me out here, right? What was it? Did you wanna tell me something?"

"Um…" I managed nervously. My conversation with the fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, from earlier today had resurfaced in my mind.

"_Um… Lady Tsunade-sama…" I said, twiddling my fingers in my lap and looking down._

"_Yes, Sakura? You said this was urgent, so what's all the urgency for?"_

"_Um… would it be possible for me to take some days off from training? Or from missions at that? Something's come up that needs my attention…"_

"_What?! What's so important that you'll ignore your duties as a full-fledged ninja?!" _

"_I…its personal, Tsunade-sama…" _

"_Pssht! Fine!! Take your days off, but you'll be making them up double time for all the time you're off!"_

"Um… well you see…" I whispered.

As Edward stood before me now, he put his hand on my shoulder. But giving a sharp yelp of pain made him pull back, grabbing his left shoulder.

"You're shoulder! Are you okay, Edward-kun?" I shouted apprehensively as I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Ow…Yeah, I'm fine. Just my shoulder…hurts so badly."

After a minute of silence, I put on a serious face.

"Sit down!" I ordered him.

I pushed him down into the ground and began to massage his shoulders. Edward glared up at me, annoyed at why I had done this.

I had noticed something right after I began, his right shoulder…was as firm as steel. I looked down at him. He looked shameful in a way.

"You…your shoulder is…so hard?" I whispered.

"Yea…I know… "Edward replied, a saddened tone in his voice.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was hiding something, I could definitely tell.

"Take off your coat. "

"What?! No!"

"DO IT!"

"NO!!"

"DO IT BAKA!!"

"YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!"

_RIIIIPP!!_

I gasped in shock; Edward's torn sleeve in my clenched hand. _Edward's arm is….metal..._

Edward pulled away. I stared at him through wide eyes.

"What…what did you do…?" I said with horror. I had never seen anything like this before. Someone's entire arm made of metal? I wasn't scared, but I was petrified, still holding Ed's torn sleeve.

"We…tried to bring our mom back; Al and I. We preformed a forbidden taboo in alchemy. I lost my right arm and my left leg, while Alphonse lost his entire body…"

Edward looked up into my face. "Are you scared?"

"No."

Edward walked up to me and held his metal hand to my cheek. The cool steel against my skin felt nice in the afternoon heat of summer. "It feels nice…" I whispered with a small smile on my lips.

"You're not scared, hunh? But you should be…" Edward said, pulling his hand away and shifting his look away from my face. "I only realized now, I cause pain to others around me. Those I love get hurt because of me. I'm sorry, but you should be scared of me Sakura-chan."

And with that said, Edward pulled his torn sleeve from my clenched hand, and walked away; looking back only to most likely see my face, with my saddened yet solemn stare fading away into tears. He mouthed an "I'm sorry…" and left me to stand there and weep in the afternoon heat.

_Waiting on a Cherry Blossom__- Chapter 3, Part 2 ~Edward~ Are We Just Friends?_

It was painful, walking away. But I had told Sakura the hard out truth. Every time I get close to someone, they get hurt because of our bond. I turned to see Sakura, standing there, her grief barrier broken, all because of me.

I mouthed a silent "I'm Sorry…"

_Great… another person got hurt because of me… it's all my fault…_ I thought. I fixed my torn sleeve right outside the training grounds, and walked back to Sakura's house, tormenting myself mentally every step of the way.

I slammed the front door to Sakura's house as I entered.

"Welcome back brother!" Alphonse greeted me as I slumped down on the living room couch. I stared down miserably at my hands… I wanted to leave Konoha; I wanted to ditch this place for good; so I couldn't hurt Sakura again.

"Al… we're leaving this village," I whispered. I glanced up at him then away. I felt so awful about hurting Sakura; I didn't mean to. She probably despised me for leaving her there. I stood up, and started stuffing my things into my trunk. "Come on, we're leaving now."

"But Ed. What about Sakura? You just got here and—"

"I know Al!" I snapped, whirling around. "I know… just…" I looked away.

"Did something happen, brother?" I explained everything that had happened while I was out; from Sakura seeing my Automail, to walking away and leaving her crying. Alphonse stared downward at the floor the whole time, as if sickened by the result of my reaction. "How did you hurt yet another person Ed?!"

I stopped, and was silent for some time. I stood there, paused, now hovering over my trunk, which was half-way packed, with nothing organized in the least; and Al, standing behind me. The silence of the hushed room had begun to gnaw at me when I finally replied regretfully, hanging my head, "It wasn't my fault."

"It wasn't your fault?! How was it not _your_ fault?! You left a girl who loves _you_ with all her heart, heart**broken** because _you_ were too guilty to face the facts—"

"Shut up!!" I interjected in the middle of his rant, yelling loud enough to make Al draw back a step, and I pointed to the front door where Sakura stood. Knowing that I had noticed her now, she sprinted up the stairs to her room where she slammed the door with a loud "BANG!" Everything was silent for a long while after that. I continued to pack my trunk.

"I'm not leaving Konoha, Ed," Alphonse muttered, finally breaching the dreadful silence. "You can leave, but I'm staying here."

I spun around, stunned, "What? No, you can't stay here! I'm your older brother and I can't leave you behind, Al!"

"I'm staying. You leave if you want to Ed, you're not getting me to go anywhere," Al replied with a harsh, stubborn tone. I could tell by his attitude, that he meant what he said, even if it meant making me irritated.

"If that's what you want, fine," I slammed my trunk shut and carried it over to the front door. "Well, goodbye then Alphonse," and with a sigh, I left.

With long strides, I approached the village gate. I gazed at the large structure of it, and then with memories of yesterday pouring back into my mind, I walked away from Konoha. Away from the village the girl I loved resided in. Away from the village my own brother refused to leave. "Goodbye," I whispered under my breath.

Walking down the forest path that Al and I had traveled not two days ago, a thought constantly kept appearing in my mind: _Are me and Sakura just friends?_ Soon I heard faint running footsteps coming from behind me, and I turned to see a boy dashing to catch up to me. He had spiky blond hair, with one of Konoha's ninja headbands tied around his forehead. He had marks on his face that looked like whiskers; and he wore a bright orange jumpsuit, which had to be the strangest thing I've ever seen someone wear in public. This boy slid to a stop right in front of me, and bent over panting heavily.

"Yo, you okay?" I said, leaning down to try to meet his head.

In a slightly hoarse voice, he replied loudly, "Of course I'm all right! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be the 6th Hokage! I'm always all right!!" With this proud line, Naruto leaped to a superhero stance. "And I know who you are!! You're Edward Elric aren't you?! Aren't you?!"

_This kid Naruto freaks me out. Honestly, how did he know my name in the first place? _"Uhhh, yeah that's me," I said, a little frightened of this kid who called himself Naruto. "Who's askin'?"

Naruto stared at me, obviously amazed by something. Right then I could tell that this kid was a pain in the ass. And hopefully he wouldn't be a pain in mine.

"I'm your biggest fan!!" Naruto suddenly shouted gleefully. "Hey! Do you really have Automail? Can I see it? Please! Oh! And what's Winry like? Is she cute? Can I see your State Alchemist pocket watch?" His bombardment of questions overwhelmed me, and I swear I was speechless. Then I realized I never met this kid before. Yet how does he know so much about me? And about Winry and my Automail? A final question was asked that left me a little annoyed. "Where's Al?"

"You are annoying aren't you? And to answer all your nosy questions, yes I have Automail, no you may not see it, why do you want to know, don't ask me in the first place, and for the final time NO," I hadn't answered his final question about Al since I had no idea in the least how to put the answer into words. "And how did you know all that stuff about me in the first place?!"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out!" Naruto said mockingly. "Oh hey, by the way, do you like Sakura Haruno?"

"Why're you askin'?!" I yelped nervously, and I think I blushed a bit.

"Because I have the perfect idea on how to see if she's still loves you or not!"


	4. His Plan

_**NOTICE:** Yuri Haruno is a RPC of mine. I added her in here because I didn't want Ed using the jutsu to turn into Ino or something! _

_

* * *

_

_Chapter 4, Part 1 ~Edward~: His Plan…_

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Of course it'll work!"

"Okay then… here goes my reputation if this ever gets out!"

I slowly preformed the hand symbols for a "transformation jutsu" this Naruto-kid taught me. His plan was apparently "fool-proof", but I was having my doubts so far. "Transform!" I shouted, and there was a _poof_, and Naruto clapped his hands joyously.

"Yeah! You've finally got it!" Naruto rejoiced. "You've got the details exactly! I _toldja_' you'd learn it easy! Believe it!" He gave me a big ear-to ear grin.

"This feels freakish…" I sulked. Why I did this "Transformation Jutsu" to transform into that _malevolent woman_, I do not know. But what I _did_ know was that this jutsu thing was supposed to help me find out if Sakura still loves me or not; even after that incident the other day…

I formed my hands into another symbol, which I gotta admit was hard to do with my Automail, and I shouted "Release!" There was another poof, and I was back to my normal self. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and checked to make sure everything was where it should be. This technique reminded me of Envy's transformation ability, and how he could transform different parts of his body at will. So I checked, just to be sure, that I wasn't missing _another _limb or something along those lines. I chuckled under my breath at the thought.

The Naruto kid shoved a thumbs-up in front of my face; "Now that you've learned the Transformation Jutsu, the second stage of my fool-proof plan will now be put in effect! Believe it!"

Since he first mentioned of this "fool-proof" plan of his, I started to believe that this "fool-proof" was being run by an absolute fool, or more like an annoying idiot. I sighed, and I swear that I was afraid to ask him of the "second stage" he mentioned. So reluctantly, I asked, "So what is this 'second stage' you were blabbering about?"

"It's where you confront Sakura as her cousin!"

Now when he has said this, I was ironically drinking the water I had brought along for the long train ride to Central City HQ. I ended up sputtering it out in shock. "W-What?!?!" I yelped between coughs.

"Yeah! Now all you have to do is use the Transformation Jutsu to transform into Sakura's cousin, Yuri, and confront her! That won't be a problem for the all-powerful FullMetal Alchemist, now will it?" he grinned, and I think he was mocking me. Man, I really wanted to give him a good hard blow right then, but I held myself back. Hell, this kid idolizes me!

I sighed again and let my shoulders slump. _My whole life I've experienced strange and abnormal things, but this has to be the weirdest of them all! _

"So, Naruto, what does this cousin look like?"

As if on cue, he held a picture up to my face of a girl that looked almost exactly like Sakura, but at the same time, didn't. She had similar length, sugar pink hair, and wore her headband like Sakura did. But this girl had her bangs covering one half of her face, and her eyes were a golden color like mine. She was smiling in the picture, but the smile was a fake, a cover-up, and it was obvious to me she had met a dark past like Alphonse and I had. And from the mug-shot photograph, I could see she wore a purple t-shirt and a black choker with a gold, crescent moon pendant on it.

I took the picture and stared at it. "Really? A cousin? She looks more like an altered clone or something if you ask me," I said, looking up at the idiot before me. "So let me get this straight, you want me to use that transformation jutsu thing to make myself look like this girl here, who you say is Sakura's cousin? And then I'm supposed to talk to her?"

Naruto nodded vigorously, "Exactly!"

"Geez. What have I gotten myself into?" I sighed. "Well do you have a full body shot of this girl at least?" Again, as if on cue, Naruto held up a full-body shot of this girl, Yuri, and around the edges of the pictures were traces of leaves. Naruto grinned. I stared at him. "Are you like, a stalker or something?"

Naruto shrunk back, and his eyes widened, "N-no! What made you think that?!" He looked around frantically. "I-I just realized I need to leave for a mission. Right now. So I'll be seeing you!" And with that, the idiot in the bright orange jumpsuit fled. Leaving me alone, confused, with a few pictures and my own slowly dissipating sanity.

"**WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!?!?!"**

* * *

After that Naruto idiot fled, I sat there in the forest contemplating the entire plan he had devised. I had rationalized it would work, but my gut said otherwise.

"What if it doesn't work?" I mumbled to myself, "What if she figures out it's me before I get the information? Damn it all…" I shook my head miserably, I had so many doubts, but it was the only plan I had left.

I decided to go ahead with it.

* * *

"Ah! Oh hey! Yuri! Over here!" Sakura called as soon as I walked in the door of the small Konoha teashop. The floor was covered in tatami mats, and the smell of dumplings and green tea wafted around the shop. I slipped off my shoes at the door, and walked over to her. She was seated at a low table, with a cup of tea held in her hands. An almost empty plate of dumplings was on the table in front of her. She gave me one of her sweet Sakura smiles. This plan was working perfectly! ...so far.

"Hey, Sakura," I said as I sat down at the end of the table. That idiot Naruto hadn't given me any heads up on Yuri's personality so I was dancing out on a limb. I hope I don't mess up.

"How'd you're mission go?" Sakura asked inquisitively. _Mission? Crap! I'm screwed!_

"Oh perfectly fine! He was happy we could get the job done!" I lied. Sakura nodded in satisfaction and went back to sipping her tea. I let out a small sigh of relief. _Get to the topic, Elric. You're wasting time!_

"Hey Sakura?"

"Mmm?"

"I heard there's this new guy in town? Edward Elric? Don't you and he have something going on?"

She set down her tea and put her hands on the table, a depressed look overcame her face. "Yes, we did. But he left last night."

Even though I knew what happened, I wanted to get her side of the story, "What happened?"

She explained the ordeal in the forest, and from her perspective, I sounded like I had been a monster. She told me how she felt as if her heart had been torn from her chest when I had left her there. _What was I thinking??_

"Well do you still love Ed?" I asked her after she had finished her retelling, "I mean, he's on his way out. Do you still care? If you love him then tell him! _Before he leaves…_"

Sakura sipped her tea, and set it down on the table softly. She laid her hands down on the table and clenched them into fists. "I know…" She said quietly, "But, thing is, Edward is a stubborn guy. I'm just afraid he'd refuse to talk to me or something…and he did break my heart…" She lifted her head up, "…but I— I do still care deeply for him you know."

I felt a blush start to creep into my cheeks, but I tried as hard as I could to keep it at bay. I didn't want it blowing my cover!

I know I broke her heart, and I thought she must have hated me with a passion by the way she acted back at the house. _But… she still had feelings for me? After I acted like a monster to her?_

"Yuri?" Sakura's voice quickly snapped me out of my thoughts and I saw her staring at me as if I was transparent. "Are you okay? Your face is all red."

"My..face?" I suddenly realized I was blushing hard enough that my entire face had turned red as a tomato! _Shit!_ "N-no! Nothing's wrong! Nothing at all!" I laughed nervously. I jumped up, told Sakura I needed to go to the restroom, and fled to the restroom as fast as my feet could take me. I felt the transformation jutsu's effects starting to waver. I ran up to the mirrors and looked at myself carefully. My face was still red, and I still looked like Yuri. I breathed a short-lived sigh of relief.

Before I even attempted this stunt, I figured I could only maintain a hold on this jutsu for about 27 minutes. It had already been about 24 minutes since I had put it into affect. I needed to hurry out of here and to a safe spot where no one could see me release the jutsu in the next 3 minutes. _I'd better hurry up then! GO!_ I turned on my heels, and ran back out of the bathroom, rushing by a few confused girls on my way.

I skidded around the corner and quickly found Sakura. "Sakura! I have to go, alright? I need to do something important! So, bye!" I waved, and turned and was about to leave the store when…

"OW!"

"Ah! Hey! Move it—" I froze. I was standing face to face with the REAL- and very confused- Yuri Haruno. She stared at me wide-eyed, her mouth agape.

"IMPOSTER!" Yuri suddenly yelled, pointing an accusing finger at me and quickly swiping out a knife –or in ninja terms, a kunai— out of her leg pouch, and flinging it at me. I dodged by a hair, and evaded her until I could finally make it out of the shop, dashing down the crowded street screaming as if ten Winrys were chasing after me with wrenches in hand.

_1 minute left._

I turned around a deserted street corner, and stopped to catch my breath in a dark alley. I sat against the wall, and slid down until I was sitting on the cold ground. Panting heavily, I observed my surroundings. A slim, deserted alley. Nothing more.

_Time's up._

There was a controlled _poof!_, and I was back to my normal self. My heart was still thumping against my ribs. I couldn't believe the twist of fate that happened. I ran into the _real_ person! Naruto said she would be gone for at least a week yet!

That's it. No more listening to idiots in bright orange jumpsuits. NO more listening to idiots **period**.

I slapped my forehead in remorse.

I looked up to see a dark figure standing over me. The sun gleamed down off their hair, giving off a pink glow. Sakura?

"Yo. What the hell were you doing looking like me, jackass?"

No, this wasn't Sakura. This was Yuri.

"Hey! Yuri! Back off him already!"

THAT was Sakura.

* * *

"Sakura! Did brother come back?" Alphonse said as she walked into the house, leading Yuri and me behind her. She nodded, and pushed me forward.

"What?!" She gave me a glare that read 'Apologize! NOW!'

I turned to my brother, and let my head fall. "I'm sorry, Alphonse. I was being…" I looked back at Sakura, who was motioning me with her hand to continue, "Go on." I turned back to Al, "… a stupid, hard-headed idiot." Sakura nodded with satisfaction.

"That's okay brother. I know you have a short temper-"

"Don't say short!!!" I intervened.

Al sighed. "A not-so-long-fused temper. But your reaction was a little too extreme, even for you."

"Sorry…"

Sakura looked at us both. "Hey, Edward, Alphonse?"

"Hunh?" we both said at the same time.

"What happened to you two…? I mean, what happened to your arm, Ed?"

It was silent for a minute after her question. "Should we tell her, Al?" He nodded.

* * *

Chapter 4, Part 2 ~Sakura~: The Tale of Two Brothers

"We preformed a forbidden taboo in alchemy. I lost my left leg, while Alphonse lost his entire body," Ed paused," I saved Alphonse by attaching his soul to a nearby suit of armor; I had my limbs replaced with Automail prosthetics later…" He repeated. He had said the exact same thing to me earlier the other day.

I stared at Edward curiously, and I wondered how he could have has so much pain in his life at his age….

He continued.

"I guess you could start our story at our failed attempt at human transmutation…"

* * *

—**Edward and Alphonses' house, 1910—**

The chilling wind stirred, and the trees swayed. Crows in the tree branches cawed as they fluttered away. . . A storm was imminent. . .

In the cellar of the seemingly vacant house in the pastoral town of Risembool, were two brothers, getting ready to carry out a forbidden act in the mystical arts of Alchemy; Human Transmutation.

"Water 35 liters, Carbon 20KG, Ammonia 4 Liters, Lime 1.5KG. . ."

". . . Phosphorus 800G, Sodium 250G, Potassium 100G. . ."

". . . Sulfur 80G, Fluoride 7.5G, Iron 5G, Silicon 3G. . .

The sound of bubbling fluid and the odor of diverse chemicals overflowed the small capacity of the cellar. The older brother, Edward, an 11-year old boy, was determined and excited for what he thought was to come. Alphonse, the younger, 10-year old, sibling, however, was skeptical, but in the same way as his brother, excited.

"Ow, it's hot!" Alphonse cried as he carried a larger beaker over to his brother, who was himself carrying materials needed for the transmutation.

"Careful!" Edward warned, "That's what we're making mom out of."

Al laughed, "What's the first thing you're going to say to mom?" he said, smiling joyously, to Edward.

"Don't tell our teacher!"

The brothers emptied the materials into the hefty, metal pan.

"Okay, we've got the basic ingredients for one adult body. . ." Edward said, ". . . We've drawn the runes. . . Last but not least," He jabbed the edge of a sharp pocketknife into his left index finger. "Ow!" Blood trickled out of the cut, ". . . Part of our soul."

With their hands in the circle, the excited Elric brothers looked at each other before they began the transmutation.

"Let's do it, Al," Edward beamed.

Alphonse replied with a nod, "Okay!"

With an enormous _BOOM_! It began. Alchemic sparks flew, and the boys grinned.

_**B-bmp **_

_**B-bmp**_

". . . huh?"

"Big brother, something's wrong!" Al cried to Edward, "UWAHHHHHHH---!!!!!!" his arm had begun to be disintegrated by the effects of the alchemy. . .

"AL!!!" Ed screamed to his brother. He tried to run to him, but something had grip of his left leg. He looked, and was mortified by the sight; his leg was also being broken down. _**It's a rebound!!**_ He thought!

"Ed, help me! ED! PLEASE!" Al cried desperately, and reached out his hand.

"AL---!!!" Ed screamed, and as he would have gotten hold of his brother's hand, Alphonse disappeared.

_KRAK!_

* * *

Yuri and I stared at the brothers and exchanged glances. Their story was nearly unbelievable. But there they were; brothers who had been to hell and back. Edward explained how he had seen the "Truth", and how he had lost his right arm to retrieve Alphonse's soul back from the "Gate". How Edward had become a State Alchemist at the age of twelve, and everything they had experienced on their journeys.

It all made sense now.

He was afraid to love me because others he loved dearly had been taken from him. I understood his reasons, and I wasn't mad anymore, or heartbroken. But I felt a nice warmth inside.

I knew he loved me. And he was waiting on a cherry blossom.

* * *

Hey you guys, I'm sorry about this, but this is where I'm ending this. I don't have enjoyment in writing this anymore, and I have no more insparation. I'm really sorry.

**_THE ENDING IS CHEESY I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _**D'x

But I didn't know how else to end it.


End file.
